Chapter 57: Devising a Plan to Gain Entry under the Madam's Wing

The self-affixed scar by Wind Ye proved to be fragile in the end. Moreover, that scar had been stretched out by Su Yuxin's playful actions, elongating it and distorting its original form. Upon seeing this, Muling couldn't resist slapping his thigh and bursting into laughter. His eyes narrowed to mere slits as he chuckled.

"Are you feeling mischievous again?" Wind Ye cast a cold, brow-raised glance at Muling, who seemed to be rendered motionless as if merely frozen in place.

Without much ado, Wind Ye's raised eyebrows caused the two scars to directly fall down, hanging like two caterpillars at the roots of his ears. It appeared quite comical. Muling laughed heartily, unable to straighten up and almost collapsing from the fit.

Wind Ye didn't seem to move much, yet Muling appeared as though he was immobilized in that position—bent over, slapping his thighs, lifting his head, sporting a lecherous grin. It was as humorous as it could get.

"Not again, acupoint strike..." Muling suddenly wailed, looking pitifully at Wind Ye. "I have erred; General, please, have mercy."

The General's unique acupoint technique was something Muling couldn't resist. Unless the General personally released him from the acupoint strike, Muling would have to maintain this posture indefinitely.

"Your loose tongue got you into trouble. Serves you right," Tuling not only took pleasure in Muling's plight but also gave him a kick. Muling, maintaining that pose, toppled to the side with a thud.

"You kicked me again," Muling grumbled, glaring at Tuling. "Just wait, we'll see who gets the upper hand later."

Although Tuling's disguise skills were unmatched, his martial arts prowess wasn't exceptional; he and Muling were more or less on par. Among the Five Spirit Guards, their martial skills were the lowest. Nevertheless, they were recognized as skilled fighters both on the battlefield and in the martial world.

"Scared of me, huh?" Tuling kicked Muling again. This time, he kicked as if gaining profit with each strike. Tuling's kick was so skillful that Muling tumbled over like a tied-up lamb ready for slaughter.

"Hey, Black Earth..." Muling roared in frustration.

Tuling's appearance was actually quite handsome, just a bit darker in color. Born on the black earth of Taining, his skin seemed deeply rooted. It wasn't just ordinary darkness; it was genuinely black. If he were to step out at night wearing all white, he could surely scare a few people to death. This skin color troubled Tuling greatly. He tried various whitening methods, the military doctor exhausted all efforts, and he even sought prescriptions from the palace's imperial physician, yet nothing worked. Over time, Tuling stopped bothering about getting lighter. He was naturally quite handsome, which gave him some consolation despite the annoyance of being called "black" in front of others.

Muling, who was naturally impudent, directly gave Tuling the nickname "Black Earth," leading to frequent quarrels between the two. As a result, when Muling shouted this, infuriated, Tuling couldn't resist kicking him several times, and Muling spun on the ground, covered in dirt.

Looking disdainfully at this, Jinling thought these two were as immature as ever. Then, it occurred to her—how could the General's scar have fallen off?

Although Tuling's martial arts skills were unreliable, his disguise technique was undoubtedly top-notch. This was the first time such a situation had arisen in over a decade. Could there be another hidden expert intending harm to the General?

At this thought, a murderous intent flashed in Jinling's eyes. Whoever wished to harm the General would have to get past her first.

"Old Jin, has your martial training made you dim-witted?" Muling, still lying on the ground, shouted, "Must someone with close proximity to the General possess extraordinary martial skills? Let me ask you, does the Madam have any martial prowess?"

Jinling and Tuling were startled. Could it be...?

"Is this... the Madam's doing?" Tuling's eyes twitched, asking.

"Yes. She was drunk and accidentally pulled it off," spoke Wind Ye, always with a gentle smile, showing no trace of embarrassment.

Tuling's eyes twitched again. Why did he feel a hint of pride when he learned that the Madam had pulled off the General's scar?

"Then, has the Madam seen the General's face?" Jinling, for once, showed a rare trace of worry instead of her usual icy demeanor.

"Yes, she has. She is my wife. If she wants to know, I won't hide anything from her." Wind Ye affirmed, the sword-like aggression suddenly emanating from him.

"But if His Majesty finds out, won't he...?" Tuling paused and corrected himself, "Won't he cause trouble for the Madam?"

"With me here, no one can harm Xinxin even a hair." Wind Ye transformed instantly into a lethal blade drawn from its sheath, oozing a chilling aura.

"The General should analyze the pros and cons with the Madam." Tuling said earnestly.

"I have already discussed it with Xinxin. This is our secret." Wind Ye's menacing air subsided, replaced by a faint smile on his lips.

Tuling couldn't help but twitch his eyes again. Didn't they say the Madam was drunk? How did the General talk to her? Was he sure the Madam actually understood?

"I'll help the General with the scar first." Tuling wiped his forehead sweat and took out a bunch of bottles and jars from a box.

After a short while of mixing, Tuling produced two terrifying scars, indistinguishable from the originals. Then, using a special method, he firmly attached them to their original positions using a medicinal powder.

Normally, after attaching the scars, Tuling would stop there. But this time, he made an extra effort to make sure by trying to peel them off. He used quite a bit more medicinal powder this time, only satisfied when he found they couldn't be removed. 

Wind Ye glanced at the mirror. Over the years, he had grown accustomed to this appearance. The absence of the scar made him feel uneasy.

"Alright, you all may leave now." Wind Ye stood up and walked out. He wanted to see if the young girl had awakened. 

Jinling and Tuling acknowledged, but Muling, still lying on the ground, wailed, "General, release me, release me!"

"Half an hour later, the acupoints will naturally release," Wind Ye said without turning back. He was preoccupied with the fact that the girl hadn't eaten much earlier. If she woke up now, she would definitely complain of hunger.

"Unbelievable!" Tuling stood to the side, looking slightly amused.

Muling glared at Tuling and pondered, wondering how he could ingratiate himself under the Madam's wing in the future.